1st Game Costly One For Kosar

Cleveland`s Bernie Kosar and Houston`s Warren Moon, two quarterbacks expected to duel each other in the AFC Central Division, were the first two major casualties of the 1988 season.

Kosar and Moon each will miss at least four weeks. The Browns and the Oilers won their openers on the road, but the price was enormous. Kosar has a strained ligament in his elbow and Moon has a fractured shoulder blade.

The Minnesota Vikings already are in considerable trouble if they plan to take the NFC Central Division title away from the Bears. So are the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Losing the season opener is not the way it is done in the NFC Central.

The Denver Broncos are in more trouble in the AFC West after losing Sunday to their division rival Seattle Seahawks. Not since the 1971 Kansas City Chiefs has an AFC West team overcome an opening day loss to a division opponent to win the title.

The Browns, on the other hand, bucked AFC Central tradition by winning their opener. The Browns have won three titles in a row after rebounding from opening day losses. Their 6-3 victory Sunday over the Chiefs may have been a bad omen. Not only did they win, but they lost their quarterback and several others players.

The Browns are saying Kosar is out ``four to eight weeks`` and will be reassessed after resting for two. Kosar, who has never missed a game because of injury, was one of five Pro Bowl players the Browns had on the sidelines at one time against the Chiefs.

Halfback Kevin Mack is questionable for next week with a neck injury. Cornerback Frank Minnifield is questionable with a groin injury. Kick returner Gerald McNeil is questionable with nose and thigh injuries. Nose tackle Bob Golic is probable with an abdominal injury. All joined Kosar on last year`s AFC Pro Bowl team.

Kosar was hurt when the helmet of blitzing safety Lloyd Burruss slammed into his elbow after he had thrown a pass in the costly victory.

Moon was hurt in Indianapolis when he recovered a fumble and was drilled by linebacker Cliff Odom. The Oilers beat the defending AFC East champion Colts in overtime.

The Colts won the title last year after losing their opener, but they did it the hard way.

During the 1980s, nearly two-thirds of the 42 division winners have won their opening games. That doesn`t count the strike year of 1982, when division standings were abandoned.

In the NFC Central, no team has lost its opener and then won the division since the 1978 Vikings. The Bears, who have won the last four division crowns, now have a five-game winning streak going on opening day.

Since the league went to the present six-division format in 1970, only the 1977 and `78 Vikings have survived opening day losses to win the NFC Central.

In the AFC West, only the 1971 Chiefs and the 1974 Oakland Raiders have lost the first game and come back to win the division.

In the AFC Central, until Sunday, the Browns were only following an opening-day losing tradition established by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost 1983 and `84 openers but won the division.